In-person dating is growing because dating apps wore people out. Singles now meet through shared activities like run clubs and cooking classes, where a conversation starts with something to do instead of a profile to judge. Strava, Eventbrite and Forbes Health data all point the same direction.
Picture a Tuesday night. You’ve swiped for forty minutes, matched with two people, and one of them already stopped replying. Now picture the same hour at a pasta-making class, flour on your sleeve, a stranger next to you asking whether you’re supposed to knead it that hard. One of these evenings feels like work. The other feels like a night out.
That gap explains why in-person dating is having a moment. This guide covers what it is, why run clubs and cooking classes work so well, how to actually meet someone there, and the downsides most trend pieces skip.
What Is In-Person Dating?
In-person dating means meeting potential partners face to face through shared activities, events or social groups instead of starting on an app. Run clubs, cooking classes, trivia nights and hobby meetups are the usual settings. The activity comes first. Romance, if it happens, comes second.
You’ll also see it called activity-based dating or IRL dating. Same idea, different label.
Why Are People Leaving Dating Apps for In-Person Dating?
Because the apps are tiring. A Forbes Health and OnePoll survey of 1,000 recent dating app users found that 78% felt burned out at least sometimes, including 79% of Gen Z and 80% of Millennials. Pew Research reported in 2023 that 46% of users described their overall app experience as negative.
The preference for real-world meetups shows up in other surveys too. An Axios and Generation Lab poll found 79% of Gen Z respondents favor in-person interaction over regular app use. Eventbrite’s research found that almost half of Gen Z said their biggest online dating problem was finding someone who shares their interests.
That last one is the core issue. Apps ask you to judge someone before you know anything real about them. A shared activity flips the order: you see how a person behaves first, and the “do we match?” question answers itself over time.
The apps have noticed. Tinder launched an Events feature in 2026, and Fortune reported in September that 71% of its Gen Z users in Los Angeles had visited it since March. Bumble is also pushing events. When the swipe companies start selling real-world meetups, the trend is not a fad.
If you want the wider context on why younger audiences are changing how they trust and consume what’s online, read our piece on Gen Z watching more content but trusting less of it.
Why Have Run Clubs Become the New Singles Bar?
Run clubs became popular dating spots because they combine a low-pressure setting, a shared interest and weekly repeat contact. Strava reported that run club membership grew 59% worldwide in its 2024 trend report, and a LADNation survey found 72% of Gen Z run club members join to meet new people.
The growth is not small. Google searches for “run club” tripled over five years, according to a report cited by KTVZ. Strava’s 2025 Year in Sport data says clubs on its platform have passed one million, and Gen Z users are 39% more likely than Gen X to use fitness as a way to meet people.
So why does it work?
You see the same faces every week: Familiarity does a lot of the heavy lifting. Nobody has to be charming on night one.
You talk side by side: Eye contact across a table is intense. Chatting while jogging is not.
You see the real person: Someone tired, sweaty and still friendly tells you more than a polished profile photo ever could.
One caveat. Run clubs aren’t a guaranteed pipeline to romance, and we’ll get to that below. If fitness is the draw for you anyway, our fitness section has more on building a routine you’ll actually keep.
Why Do Cooking Classes Work for Meeting People?
Cooking classes work because the task gives everyone something to talk about and something to do with their hands. Therapist Jaime Bronstein told VICE that chopping vegetables together, asking questions and tasting food creates small moments of connection, and that food ties into comfort and nostalgia.
Bronstein also pointed out that a class shows you how someone reacts under pressure, communicates and handles frustration. Burn the garlic and you’ll find out a lot about a person in about nine seconds.
The best classes are narrow ones, she said: pasta, sushi, baking. That makes sense. A specific class pulls in people who care about that specific thing, which means you start with common ground. And a cooking class usually ends with everyone eating together, so there’s a natural way to keep talking.
What Other In-Person Activities Are Worth Trying?
Run clubs and cooking classes lead the conversation, but they’re not the only options. Eventbrite’s 2026 comparison of platform data, reported by Fast Company, showed trivia nights up 403%, mahjong gatherings up 235% and plant swaps up 117% on its “meet new people” events.
Four more that keep coming up:
- Trivia nights: Teams force introductions, and losing together is bonding.
- Pickleball and dodgeball leagues: Easy to join, social by design, and listed by Daily Hive among Vancouver’s top IRL dating spots.
- Book clubs: In one survey summary, 47% of Gen Z said they’d rather meet a partner at a book club than on an app.
- Martial arts classes: Smaller groups than big workouts, and many studios offer a free trial class.
The pattern is obvious once you see it. Pick something you’d enjoy alone, and the people you meet come pre-filtered for taste.
How to Meet Someone at a Run Club or Cooking Class
To meet someone at a run club or cooking class, pick an activity you’d enjoy anyway, attend the same group repeatedly, talk about the activity first, and suggest a small follow-up like coffee. Here’s the longer version.
- Choose something you’d do with zero romantic payoff: If you hate running, a run club will show. Go where you’d happily spend the evening alone.
- Commit to four visits: One session is an audition. By the fourth, people know your name. Most people quit before familiarity kicks in.
- Arrive early and stay late: The real conversation happens before the start and after the finish, not during the activity.
- Open with the activity: “How long have you been coming?” beats any line you’ve rehearsed. Personal questions can wait.
- Make the follow-up small: “A few of us are grabbing coffee after” is easy to say yes to. “Dinner Friday?” on week one is not.
- Keep the friendships: Even if no romance happens, you’ve built a social circle, which is not a consolation prize. Our relationship articles go deeper on this.
What goes wrong most often is treating the club like a hunting ground. People notice. Show up for the activity and let the rest follow.
What Are the Downsides of In-Person Dating?
There are real ones. NBC News reported that some New York City run clubs have become crowded and full of the same drama singles were trying to escape on apps. Several women interviewed said they hadn’t found a partner, though they’d built strong friend groups.
And not everyone is there to date. A regular quoted by The Senior, an Australian outlet, said only a minority of run clubs push dating as the draw. Asking out someone who just wanted a jog is awkward for both of you.
A few practical limits too:
- Classes cost money, and popular ones sell out.
- Progress is slower than app matching.
- You need to be comfortable making small talk with strangers, which is the very skill many people are rusty at.
If social anxiety is the barrier, start with activities that have built-in structure, like a class with a teacher, before trying a free-flowing social run. For ways to build the habit, browse our life hacks section.
Are Dating Apps Dead?
No. They’re changing. NewsNation, citing Eventbrite, reported that dating and singles events rose 42% from the previous year, while apps shifted toward hosting in-person events themselves. Hinge’s CEO told the Financial Times that users feel overwhelmed by volume and that everyone starts to look the same.
My read: the winning approach for most people is a mix. Use an app for reach, use activities for chemistry. Plenty of people will meet someone at a class and then move to texting, which is just the usual order reversed.
Is In-Person Dating Catching On in India?
Yes, in the big cities. The Deccan Chronicle reported that singles in metro cities are joining run clubs and walking groups to meet partners, with fitness communities emerging as new dating grounds. It also noted that apps like Bumble and Hinge now share details on local fitness-based singles events.
The same caveat applies: not everyone joins with dating in mind, so treat the group as a community first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are run clubs actually good for meeting a partner?
They can be. Strava reports fast growth in run clubs, and surveys say most Gen Z members join to meet people. But results vary, and many people end up with friends instead of partners. Go for the community and treat dating as a bonus.
Do I need to be fit to join a run club?
No. Many social run clubs welcome mixed paces and walkers. Check the club’s page or Instagram for pace groups before your first visit.
What is the best in-person activity for meeting someone?
The one you’d enjoy without a date attached. Cooking classes, run clubs, trivia nights and book clubs all work because they put conversation inside a shared task.
Is in-person dating better than online dating?
Neither is better for everyone. In-person dating shows you how someone behaves and builds familiarity slowly. Apps offer reach and speed. Many singles now use both.
Why are cooking classes good for first meetings?
Cooking classes give you a task, a topic and a shared meal. According to therapist Jaime Bronstein, small moments like chopping and tasting build closeness, and you see how someone handles pressure.
The Bottom Line
In-person dating works because it swaps judgment for context. You meet people doing something they like, you see them more than once, and the pressure of a “date” never lands in the first five minutes. Pick one activity this week, go four times, and see who you’re standing next to. For more on building habits that stick, check our productivity guides.
